


real men bleed real blood

by November_Clouds



Series: sorrow, pain, and loss (whumptober 2020) [11]
Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood and Injury, Crying, Finral Roulacase Needs a Hug, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Injury, Ledior Vaude's A+ Parenting, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, i made langris soft and i am not sorry, my first finral fic and i beat him up, no. 11, oh well, so much untapped angst potential, what do i pUt: spoopy edition, why is that also not a tag, why is that not a tag you cowards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:14:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26945770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/November_Clouds/pseuds/November_Clouds
Summary: Finral’s father always told him real men never cried.day 11: crying
Relationships: Vanessa Enoteca & Finral Roulacase
Series: sorrow, pain, and loss (whumptober 2020) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924213
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	real men bleed real blood

**Author's Note:**

> tw: blood, a little bit of abuse

Finral’s father always told him real men never cried.

His earliest memory was when he was three years old, running around the manor with Langris. They were playing some game, he really didn’t remember anymore, and he had tripped, careening into the corner of the wall between two rooms, bruising his side.

He remembered how his bottom lip quivered violently before he broke out into a sob, ugly tears streaking down his face. Langris, young and untouched by their parents, ran over to him to comfort him, patting his hair roughly. “‘S okay, Fin, ‘s okay.”

Ledior had burst into the room, eyes alight with anger and malice. He grabbed Finral by the arm roughly, pulling him away from the wall. 

“Why are you crying, boy?” he hissed, shaking Finral by the shoulders. “Don’t you know real men never cry?” 

Finral remembered the fear that rushed through his three year old body, the terror. “I-I—” he stuttered, still holding his bruised side.

Ledior sneered at him, lips upturned, before calling for a servant to take him away. “I can’t look at him right now” he had said, and Finral was whisked away.

So he never cried.

For years, he would swallow back the pain. _I’m fine,_ he’d say, _it’s okay._ Always a smile on his face, always a laugh to hide behind. Because Finral had to be a real man.

And real men never cry.

Until today.

There was blood on his hands, the stench of it overwhelming to an extent where he was holding back retches. He wasn’t sure whose blood it was, only that it was everywhere.

And it was still leaking out.

Vanessa lay limply underneath him, her gushing blood the only was he sure she was still alive. Rubble had settled into her wound, having fallen from the castle wall. Her blood came out red, it was so red, everything was red, and _ohmygodshe’sreallydyingisn’tshe._

“Vanessa,” he croaked, pressing down on her torso. “Vanessa, you have to stay awake.”

Her eyelids fluttered, and she reached out to him with an unsteady hand, fingers trembling. “Finral,” she whispered. Her voice was quiet. Too quiet.

“Vanessa, please! There’s healers on the way, you just have to hold on—”

“Finral.”

He stopped talking in surprise.

Vanessa reaches up with a weak hand to cup his face gently. “I’m gonna miss you, Finral,” she says softly. “You were like family.”

Finral grabs her hand tightly. “No, Vanessa, _please,_ you can’t do this to me.”

But she doesn’t listen.

Dead people never do.

And as he cradles her body, hot, wet tears run down his face, smearing over his nose.

(Maybe he was a real man, if he was Vanessa’s family)

**Author's Note:**

> :)


End file.
